1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an igniting medium incorporating a support member, the latter of which is passed through by electrical leads extending towards an ignition bridge.
Within the concept of the present invention, pertaining to the designation ignition medium, it must be understood that this includes, within the broadest context, ignition or detonator elements (especially, inclusive their embodiments as primer capsules or ignition matches, as primer cap ignition elements, or as detonating media with outputs of direct explosive force), such as igniters or detonators which are built into electropyrotechnic triggers.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
An igniting medium in the constructional configuration of a primer capsule or electric match is known from the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,988. Electrically-actuatable pyrotechnic power elements, also designated as electric triggers, such as are widely employed; for instance, as singly employable or non-reusable block-switch means for fuze safety devices, are currently being marketed by the Dynamit Nobel Aktiengesellschaft, West Germany.
It is common to all of these igniting media that the supplying of an electric current leads to a pyrotechnic triggering. However, it is always problematic that under inexpedient environmental conditions it is impossible to preclude the straying in or accumulation of high-frequencied interference radiation energy into the electrical lead lines, which can be already sufficient to cause a triggering; with the result that the triggering of the igniting or detonating medium at the inappropriate time, will be carried out in an uncontrolled manner and, for example, produces malfunctions and endangers personnel or articles.
As a remedy against such a type of triggering caused by interference radiation, it is known that the electrical actuation can be undertaken through a high-frequency filter circuit which is inserted during the course of wiring for the igniting medium lead lines, and which should be able to block off or short-circuit the high-frequencied interference energy A circuit of this kind is usually connected in closest possible proximity to the inlet for the electrical lead lines into the support member for igniting medium (which can be designed as a pole or terminal member for an ignitor or detonator bridge or as the restraining disc of a sleeve encapsulation). However, in this case the danger is only reduced but not precluded, in that high-frequencied interference energy is still coupled in between the filter circuit and the actual igniting medium and thereby leads to an undesired triggering. As a consequence thereof, in Swiss Patent No. 635 673 provision is made, for an ignition element, that on a substrate or carrier member itself of an insulating material, and immediately adjacent the contacting for the ignition bridge to implement the provision of these circuits which are ordinarily constructed as actuating and filter circuits in the lead lines for the igniting medium in the distinct circuitry technology. As a result, to some extent there is obtained an intelligent igniting or detonating medium; namely, an igniting medium without the requirement for the separate connection ahead thereof of auxiliary and safety circuits. Such a type of implementation necessitates, at all times, on one hand, a significant demand on manufacturing technology.
When the detonating medium is a component of the so-called electrical trigger (pyrotechnic power element), the direct installation of a filter circuit on a substrate or support member is also subject to the disadvantageous result in that the standardized trigger, which is already accepted in its type of structure and is already in use, may no longer be employed without any new time-consuming and costly acceptance procedures inasmuch as a modification which is essential to its functioning must be undertaken directly within the interior of the igniting or detonating medium.